Asia

2012

It
is one step forward and two steps back in Pakistan's restive Baluchistan
province. The nation's highest court has acknowledged the dangerous climate
journalists face in Baluchistan, but it has also affirmed a directive that only
adds to the pressure cooker conditions that journalists work under.

More than 40 media organizations worldwide are demanding
urgent action by governments, the United Nations, and the industry to stop
violence against journalists and end impunity in attacks on the press. They
made their position known in a joint statement
delivered today to the U.N. Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization
(UNESCO).

Tags:

After intense public pressure, the Maharashtra state
government last week dropped the charge of sedition against Indian cartoonist
Aseem Trivedi. However, Trivedi still faces other charges as his case resumes
tomorrow at the Bombay High court.

The 25-year old cartoonist, who was arrested on September 8, could have been sentenced to life imprisonment if convicted of sedition. He still faces up to three years in prison for other charges including violation of the Prevention of Insult to National Honour Act and Information Technology Act, his lawyer Vijay Hiremath told CPJ by e-mail.

Tags:

Journalists, like many others in Pakistan, have spoken out
strongly since the Taliban attempted to kill the teenage Malala Yousafzai on
October 9. The Taliban, in return, are threatening the media over their
coverage, according to journalists and news reports.

Tags:

A couple dozen activists gathered this past week in New York
City's Union Square to protest the imprisonment of freelance journalist Lingaram Kodopi and his
aunt Soni Sori, who were
arrested one year ago in India.

Tags:

On Tuesday, the Philippines Supreme Court issued a temporary
restraining order stopping the government from enforcing the Cybercrime
Prevention Act of 2012 which President Benigno Aquino III signed into law
last month. The court, in full session, ordered that oral arguments for and
against will start January 15. And it gave the government 10 days to respond to
the many petitioners seeking to declare the law unconstitutional.

Covering political rallies in Pakistan must be considered a dangerous
assignment. One journalist was killed and three others injured on Sunday when
gunmen opened fire on a Pakistan People's
Party (PPP) rally in Khairpur in Sindh province. All told, at least six died
and 10 were wounded critically.

In a notoriously litigious country like the Philippines, it's
bewildering that the government coupled a law targeting so-called cybercrimes like
cybersex, child pornography, identity theft, and spamming with the hoary
and over-used concept of libel. And no matter how abusive those crimes may be, it's
an even bigger mystery why the government felt it should suspend its lengthy heritage
of due legal process by giving the Department of Justice power to shut down
websites and monitor all online activities without a warrant.

The government of Indian Kashmir has a long record of
failing to respond to physical attacks on the press. This week, the possibility
that websites like YouTube and Facebook were blocked indicated that online
freedoms, too, are under threat.

Tags:

New York, October 1, 2012--Cambodian authorities took a
significant step backward on press freedom with today's harsh verdict against independent
journalist Mam Sonando in connection with his coverage of land seizures, the
Committee to Protect Journalists said today.